Proportioning device



Aug. 20, 1963 P. F. GOOD 3,101,042

PROPORTIONING DEVICE Filed March l5, 1962 2 Sheets-Shea?l 1 mit' MH" W ifTTOR 3 Aug. 2o, 1963 P. F. GOOD 3,101,042

PROPORTIONING DEVICE Filed March 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Paul f 6000 the scale.

United States Patent O 3,101,042 `PRG?OR'IIONING DEVICE Paul F. Good, Lutherville, Md., assigner to Speedco, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Mar. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 179,972 Claims. (Cl. 99-256) This invention relates to a proportioning device and, in particular, is directed to a device which measures out la given percentage of a substance being -added to another substance.

The device of this invention is specifically designed for the control of the amount `of brine being pumped into a ham.

As shown in Beisser, U. S. Patent No. `2,088,257, it is possible to use a system of weighing scale operated levers in connection with an electrical circuit for controlling the brine pumping cycle. j However, the Beisser device is complicated Sand .relatively slow in operation. More modern devices are based on electronically operated `circuits but, these are objectionable because of the corrosion and short-circuiting induced by the presence of such circuits in the brine spray saturated ham lpumping rooms.

The objects of this invention are to produce `a proportioning device which is quick in operation, is easily maintained, is vaccurate within a practical range of operation, can be adjusted .to different percentages without change of parts, which is of relative inexpensive construction, and which can easily be used with a variety of yweighing and proportioning systems.

In general, these and other objects of the invention are obtained by using a pivoting primary lever, the free end of which is moved by the turning of a weighing scale actuated cam, and a secondary lever pivotally joined to said primary lever. One end of the secondary lever is held stationary at a point which corresponds `to the percent of brine weight being added to the ham weight on This fixed point is adjustable lover a range of percents. An appropriate electrical circuit is provided for starting and stopping the brine pump in the performance of the pumping cycle.

The means by which these and other objects of the invention are obtained are described more Afully with reference to the accompanying drawings, vin which:

FIGURE l is a longitudinal cross-sectional View through the proportioning device;

FIGURE 2 is a crosssectional view taken on the line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of FIGURE l partially shown in section;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a diagram illustrating the vgeometry of the proportioning system.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the proportioning device is contained in a housing 10. The rotatable pointer shaft 12, note FIGURE 3, which rotates in response to a weight placed on the platform of a weighing scale, is connected by a flexible joint 14 to the shaft 16 of a constant displacement cam 18. This cam has a shape such that, for example, it will lower a lever or beam 0.01 inch per pound of material placed on the weighing platform of the scale.

A prim-arybeam 20 is rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft 22 secured to said housing. The forward or free end of beam 20 has a roller 24 which rests on cam 18. The rear end of beam 20 is connected l'to :a spring 26 having its other end joined to housing by bracket 28 for providing a tension such that the roller 24 rides lightly upon cam 18.

A secondary beam 30 is pivotally mounted-on a stub shaft 32 joined to primary beam 20. The free end arm `an angle spring 44 onto shoulder bolts 40 and 42.

30a of this beam is balanced so that it is .slightly heavier than the rear end 3019. This balance is obtained by means of a counterweight 30C attached tol arm 34917. As arm 30a is heavier, upward movement of rear arm Sb is restricted by a stop pin 34. When there is no Weight on the platform of the weighing scale, pin 34 keeps beam 30 from moving relative to beam 20. This stop pin 34 extends transversely from the top of a plate 36 which is attached to a rack bar 38. The rack bar slides over shoulder bolts 40 and `42 fastened to housing 10 and which extend through slots in the bar. Bar 38 is held against upward movement and pressed downwardly by A pinion `46 for moving rack bar 38 together with stop pin 34 is `turnable exteriorly of housing 10 by means of a knob 48, note FIGURES 3 and 4.

At the free end of secondary beam arm 30a is a freely hung clapper 50. This clapper extends overthe face of a solenoid 52 so that it can be locked in place when the ysolenoid is energized. The free end of this arm 30a 'also carries the lowermost contact point 53 of an electric switch. vThe corresponding contact point 54 is likewise mounted adjacent the free end of primary beam 2d, it being noted that in both instances the contact points are insulated from their respective beams.

When the primary beam 20 and secondary beam 30 are in horizontal starting position, las shown in FIG- URE l, it is important that contacts 53 and 54 are closed, and if not closed, that they can be rapidly adjusted to become closed. For -doing so, an adjusting lever 56 is secured to the bushing 58 in which pivot shaft 22 is journalled. The axis of the hole through bushing 58 is `slight-ly eccentric with respect to the circumference of the bushing. Consequently, when lever 56 is moved to the right or the left from the vertical position shown in FIGURE 1, the pivot shaft 22 is either raised or lowered slightly, and .thus the contact points 53 and 54 can be brought into contact at the starting position. Moreover, this adjustment can be made at any time by the lever 56 which lies exteriorly of housing 10.

As shown in the diagram of FIGURE 5, when the cam 18V is rotated to lower primary beam 20, the secondary beam is also lowered but at a proportionately faster rate, so that its free end 30a drops below the end of the primary beam. Thus when the primary beam has dropped a distance E, the secondary beam has dropped an additional distance UThe ydistance -F' is set by the position of the pin 34 through the movement of the bar 38 by turning the knob 48. The distance F then represents the proportional increase that is to be added to a given substance. `Thus the percent of increase is F over E. This is expressed according to the form-ula wherein D is the distance between the pivot shaft 22 and the location of the stop pin 34, and as E' sin B L the cos B is readily found. It is noted that this diagram contains an error in ignoring the arcs produced at the ends of the beams as they are dropped, Ibut that this error is so small that it can be ignored for ordinary purposes.

An electrical circuit is actuated :by contacts 53 and 54 to produce a ham brine pumping cycle according to the following example.

The knob 48 is iirst turned to control the percent of brine to be pumped into a ham and, in so doing, sets fthe position of stop pin 34. A ham is then placed on the weighing scale platform., As the scale platform lowers, the shaft 16 will rotate clockwise in proportion to the weight of the bam. Primary beam 20 will thus be lowered while secondary beam 30 is also lowered, but at a faster rate. However, secondary beam 3U cannot be lowered beyond 'the distance 1??,fa's-` determined' by stop pini' 14. The pumping :needle is now inserted v-iri the vein of the ham. Theopenator then closes theV stanting switch BP-l momentarily toenergiz'e-the electric control, schematically show-n Vin FIGUREI.' -At this time, the contacted-3? and 54 arelalrea'dy separated, thusthebeam sWitch'-S`1-is open. The manual closing of the starting 'switch PB-'l energizes relay coil ICR, closing relay contact v ICR-'1. Current isthensupplied through relay cont-act ICR-1I to the green indicating light G, the coil of'vrelay ICR, and ftl't'imel" motor T-l. The timer motor runsfor a pre-set time delay period and` theneontact T-`1Acloses and simultaneously energizes 'the' lock-ing coil solenoid` 52` and 'opens -the solenoid SOL. AVOf/the brine'v'alveg' The nun-ning of the timer motor allows the scale platform to fc'ome to rest` before the clapper 50 is locked into 'a tixedposition by solenoid 52 solthat the position of contactpoint-53 is not thereafter changed during Athe brine i pniping operation, as any changewouldfproduce an' error inthe percent of brine Lpujmped. Brine valve `solenoid-SOL. A"" is energized so th'atlbrine begins to `.be pumpedV into the harn, and ltheadditional weightbeing addedto the scale causes the-primary beam to start lowering again which continues until contact 54 renewscontact with stationary contact 53. This then closes th'ebeam switchJS-lf and energizesthe release relay ZCR to cause the -nor'rnally lclosegd'- contact ZCR-l to open momentarily. "II'his'de-energizes the-coil orelay ICR and brings the control circuit back to the stantingposition. i Thus the `green light goes ot andthe, pumping of the brine is stopped; 'f

Tozero the scale beforeA pumping a batch of hams, the oi-on switch is set to the olf-position. `Therithe pushbutton' PB-1 is held closedwhile 'thescaleiplatform lis pushed downto a dial reading of about'on'e pound ors'o. Thevpush-bnmton is released; and the scale istheniallowed toreturn slowly to the dial` zeropQsition-Vin order tosee whether the light G goes 4orf anywhere near the dial zero point. If notfthe zeroing Aleverlis moved to th'ele-ft orright as required, and the test is repeated" until thelight goes ol at or verypnearthedial zero point; llnthisway,`

itis known that the zero-or'thestarting point of thedevice matches the zero-point of the dial-and the `device 'will operate from the proper position. L i

Also,\as shown, a transformer and a full wave rectiier are used to actuate solenoid-52.' Therefore, the 'device can be plnggedrintoa 1101 v.,60vcycle, A1?.

As a ffunther example, it is assumed that a, ten-pound ham is on the -scale platform and that the cam 1'8 -is so 4 distance D is given by the setting of the position of stop pin 34. Therefore, the apparatus automatically solves the distance F, which represents the proportional increase added to the substance being weighed.

The apparatus of this invention ris useful for furnishing proportionate quantities in processes other than the pumping of brine into hams. For example, Vin one instance, the cam '18 can be replaced .by a movable means such as a pressure-type vbellows resting on the top of the end beam 30 carrying roller 24. Air or fluid pressure in the 4bellows' Vat increasingf pressure in response toV a proportionate increasein the quantity of some 'substance would then move beam 30 downwardly.` In this case', spring 28 would be tensioned to urge the beam against the bellows.

VYInanothe'rinstar'ice, cam 1-8' is replaced bya lever actu ated Iin response to fameehanis'migiving' a Vlinearfoutput in proportion to the quantity of a substance.

v'Having now describedfthe means by which the objects of the'inven'tion are obtained, Y

4I elaim:'- `1 l. A proportioning device comprising movable means adaptedtofbe actuated-1in response to the amount of ka givenffsubstance, v'iaprimary beam-having a xe'd lpivot pointandl va lfree end 'movably engaging? said-` rno'vable means, a secondary beam pivotally joined to said primary #beam and having-"a fre'e end adjacentsaid'movable means, stoppin means'for engaging"said,` secondary beam at a point Where-the distncebetween the'dree ends lodi' the prirnar-y-aridV 4secondarybeams caused'by movement of Vsaid movable `inean's* represents "a Aproportional increase over the `amountfof-"said;given substance upon the addition of alstrbs-tan to saidZ given substance for Arnakingdipsaid proportional increase, and means for'stopping`sueh makinglup' lupon the `vclosing ojfftlie distance' between said -free ends. f1.1 I #l 'f 1 -f f 2. A proportioning device as in claim 1, adjusting means 'for selectivelyposi'ti-oningthe point of engagement of `said pin rne'ans with? saidI secondary beam to'set the percent of'susbtance added to said given substance;

"3. Aproportioning device ias in claim 2, further com- *prising means trXing the position ofthe free end of designed as to lower the contact'` 54 of the primary beam 2010.011 inch per pound of ham, Vthuswgiving the distance E; Also, thewdistances L, Tfand S, FIGURE 5, are known by the' physical construction of 'the apparatus and the clapper in the lined"position.`

said-'secondarybeamupon the completion ofthe actuation l of said'movable means 'in respon'se'tosaidgiven substance.

4. A proportioning device a's infclairnV 2,' tturthercomprising'electri'cal'time delay means for preventing the "adding of substance to` said given'substance until actuation 'of saidzrnovable means` byv said given substance ishaited 5. A` proportioning devicewa's in claim 4,l said means for iixing the position :of ythe free end iof said secondary beam comprisinga' `iclapper joined to saidfree end of said secondary beam, and solenoid means foi holding said No referencescited." 

1. A PROPORTIONING DEVICE COMPRISING MOVABLE MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED IN RESPONSE TO THE AMOUNT OF A GIVEN SUBSTANCE, A PRIMARY BEAM HAVING A FIXED PIVOT POINT AND A FREE END MOVABLY ENGAGING SAID MOVABLE MEANS, A SECONDARY BEAM PIVOTALLY JOINED TO SAID PRIMARY BEAM AND HAVING A FREE END ADJACENT SAID MOVABLE MEANS, STOP PIN MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID SECONDARY BEAM AT A POINT WHERE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FREE ENDS OF THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BEAMS CAUSED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE MEANS REPRESENTS A PROPORTIONAL INCREASE OVER THE AMOUNT OF SAID GIVEN SUBSTANCE UPON THE ADDITION OF A SUBSTANCE TO SAID GIVEN SUBSTANCE FOR MAKING-UP SAID PROPORTIONAL INCREASE, AND MEANS FOR STOPPING SUCH MAKING-UP UPON THE CLOSING OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FREE ENDS. 